Revenance
by Arallion
Summary: The barrier between the spirit world and the mortal world is nearly impossible to breach. But the Ancient One's armors have been known to do stranger things. Unfortunately, it's usually the wrong people who figure these things out....
1. Rain

**Revenance**

By  S. Arallion

Based on "Ronin Warriors"

(the English version of the anime series "Yoroiden Samurai Troopers")

**Disclaimer**:  All characters in this story are owned by their respective copyright holders—namely, not myself.  Anything you don't recognize is my fault.  I make absolutely no profit from my use of these characters.  ~~Arallion

Part 1:  Rain

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Another grey, watery day.

The despondent thought floated out into the mist, given shape and substance by the rain-laden air.  In the somewhat dubious shelter of a gnarled cherry tree, a wavering human outline appeared.  It was clothed in the style of a Shinto monk, one long-fingered hand clasped securely around a strangely wrought staff, or _shakujo_.  

The wide, cone-shaped hat of the monk tilted back for a moment, revealing sharply pointed features and a pair of vivid blue-green eyes, narrowed slightly in irritation.  The monk's lips curved in a wry grimace before the hat tilted back down to obscure his face.

_One would think, _the thought continued, with a slightly acidic tone, _ that these hats were designed to keep out the rain.  But what is the point of wearing it when the rain goes right through one's entire body anyway?_

The ghostly monk sighed.  Rain was not really a problem.  The lack of sun actually helped his form seem more substantial.  It was just that _they would not be coming out to the tree in such inhospitable weather… and he missed them.  _

Leaning back cautiously against the tree trunk, the monk stared out across the drizzly meadow.  The long stems of grass caught droplets of water and bowed beneath their weight, catching more and more as if anxious to prove their strength—then springing back upright suddenly as the enormous drops fell off their tips to the ground.  Above the patter of rain, a sharp chirrup rang out, to be answered faintly by a call from across the meadow.  The call-and-response continued, slightly plaintive on one side, insistent on the other.  The monk chuckled softly.  _Henpecked,_ he thought with a rare flash of humor.

_Why do I remain here?_ he asked himself, as the feeling of loneliness swept over him again.  _I should return to the Ancient One.  It takes far too much energy to remain on the mortal plane… _ but even as the thoughts came to him, his mind dismissed them. 

A final chirp rang out and the bird on the monk's side of the meadow gave up.  He launched out into the rain, instantly soaked, and flapped across the open space to his mate. 

The blue-green eyes watched, then brightened suddenly.

_Why shouldn't _I_ go to them_?__

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Thump! 

Rattle rattle rattle rattle….thump! 

The distinctive sound of sparring rose to Mia's window, over the soothing sound of raindrops.  She looked up from her computer and stacks of manuscripts—leftover work from her grandfather's projects—and watched two of her young friends catapult themselves through the air, landing neatly on the edge of the fountain in the courtyard.  They raced along the retaining wall, catching a low-hanging branch and somersaulting through the air to yet another wall.  Then it was over a bench, around a hedge and back the way they came.  

"I'm going to beat you in a race _one of these days, Sage!" yelled one of the boys, dark-haired and burlier than the other.  Blond hair fluttering madly in the wind, the other boy merely let out a shout of laughter and poured on the speed._

With a grimace of mock anger, the darker boy lunged forward, leaping onto the tree branch and attempting to launch himself clear past the fountain's edge to the finish line.  He landed awkwardly on the stone wall, skidded on the rain-slick surface—and suddenly found himself on his rump on the cobbled ground.

"Hey, Kento!  Are you all right?" The blond boy trotted back to his friend worriedly.  

Kento stood up slowly, rubbing the affected area.  "Ouch," he admitted.  Then, he took off at a sprint past Sage to the finish line.  Sage stood dumbfounded for a moment, then howled in outrage and raced after him.  

Mia flipped her long, auburn hair back over her shoulders, smiling softly.  They were all so amazing.  The things that her five new companions had done so far in their young lives could only be considered miraculous—and yet, sometimes they still behaved like they didn't have a care in the world.

This, of course, could be both a good thing and a bad thing.  

She looked at the work she had done so far this morning.  It was probably time to get lunch, she decided, finding her fingers stiff and cramped and the work at a good stopping point.  Saving the files quickly, she pushed in her grandfather's chair and went downstairs.

"_Cheater!_" Sage was chanting, scrubbing his knuckles through Kento's unruly mop of hair in what was commonly known as a 'noogie'.  

Kento just grinned up at Mia innocently, putting up with the treatment even though he could have held his friend off fairly easily.  "I won," he smirked.

"I saw," she smiled.  "Tell me, did you really slip, or was that part of your master plan?"

Sage looked at her, silver-blue eyes shining in disbelief.  "Kento?  Plan?"

Kento looked mischievous for a moment, but then dropped the act.  "Nah, I really did slip.  You know me.  I just took my opportunity, that's all."

Sage glowered at him darkly.

"Well, it's not _my_ fault you didn't finish the race before turning around," the stockier boy pointed out innocently.

As Sage appeared to be readying a worse fate for Kento than the knuckle-scrubbing, Mia tactfully changed the subject.  "Anyone for lunch?"

"Lunch?"  Kento brightened like a starving Labrador retriever.

 One slender finger raised in front of the boys' noses.  "Get changed out of your wet clothes and dry off.  Then we'll have lunch, okay?"

"Okay," Kento grumbled, squelching his way up the stairs.

"Oh, and see if you can find Ryo, Cye, Rowan and Yuli, please."

"Okay," Sage smiled, with a little more enthusiasm for drying off.

Mia shook her head and headed for the kitchen.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"Hey, Mia," caroled a familiar voice from the kitchen as she approached.  

"Cye?" 

"Who else, the rest of 'em are afraid of the kitchen…." Cye's charming, lopsided grin always made her laugh.  

"True," she agreed.  "You're not getting into the roast I started for dinner, are you?"

"Me?  Nah, I was just snooping around.  Can I get something else started for you?"

Mia opened the oven and checked the pot roast.  It was almost done, and smelled delicious, especially combined with all the vegetables she'd included for Cye's benefit—he wasn't much of a meat-eater.  "Well, I was thinking of putting together a rice dish, instead of potatoes—"

Cye grinned.  "Hey, I have a great recipe for that.  It'll only take a few minutes."

Mia's hands went up in surrender, and she grinned.  "Go ahead then.  I trust you."

The youngest Ronin began to bustle around the stove, and Mia started setting up the table.

_Purrrrrrr_… _Purrrr…_Purr_…_

A huge, white furred head planted itself on the table next to Mia's hand as she laid out the plates.  She giggled.  "Hello, White Blaze."

The great white tiger seemed to grin at her, tail twitching in pleasure.  _Purrr… purrr… purrr…_

As the glasses on the table began to clink together from the rumbling noise, Mia gently scratched under the tiger's chin until he lifted his head off of the tabletop.  "There's food for you too, big guy," she smiled.  Obediently, he sat down and watched as she and Cye finished setting out the meal.

"Hey, it's American food night.  Cool."  The observation was made in a light tenor voice.  Mia looked up to see a dark-haired boy with intensely blue eyes.  

"Hello, Ryo," she grinned.  "How did you beat Kento to the kitchen?"

He shrugged.  "I'm fast, what can I say?"  

Kento scrambled into the kitchen with Rowan and the young boy Yuli hot on his heels.  "Hey, Ryo, that wasn't fair…  hey, food!"  A huge smile lit up his face and he sat down at the table with an expectant look.  Cye was just setting out the first of the dishes.  

Mia looked around the table and held up her hand.  "Wait, guys.  Where's Sage?  We won't start without him."  She ignored Kento's crestfallen look.

"He came with Kento to find us," Rowan said thoughtfully.  "He was right behind us in the forest.  I wonder…"  The boys exchanged worried looks.  

"He wouldn't be in any trouble," Ryo said uncertainly.

"Maybe we should go look for him," Yuli suggested in his piping voice.

A silence fell, in which Kento looked mournfully at the food on the table.  Cye gave him a stern look and picked it up, putting it back in the oven to warm.  "Let's go then," the youngest Ronin stated.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Sage began to run back to the Koji house with the others, but slowed after a moment.  It was such a peaceful afternoon, when the gleeful, boisterous shouts of the other boys faded into the distance.  The only sound left was the heavy patter of rain on his umbrella and the thick leaves of the surrounding trees.  His brisk walk slowed even more, with the hypnotic rhythm of the rain drumming in his ears.  After a moment, he stopped.

Everything was so green, beneath the misty grey sky.  He looked up at the trees, and around at the forest depths, suddenly noticing where he had stopped.  It was the shrine they had made for Anubis, the Dark Warlord of Cruelty, who had rediscovered his true nature as the Ronin Warrior of Loyalty.

The shrine was small, unassuming.  A small stone cairn was built in the middle of a clearing, a wiry sapling planted at its heart.  Sage sighed to himself as he walked closer.  They all had hoped to do more, but Mia had insisted that this would be what their friend had wanted.  At any rate, the tree Mia had gotten from one of her grandfather's friends was growing swiftly and well, with lush foliage and strong limbs.  

Sage smiled as he touched a leaf, and looked back around the clearing.  He froze in shock.

A misty form was watching him, half obscured by trees, nearly blending in with the rain fog.  Familiar reddish-brown hair floated from under its peaked hat, and the eyes that widened in surprise at his reaction were the same vibrant blue-green as ever.

"Anubis?"

The form slipped further into the darkness of the forest, and Sage lost sight of it.  He gulped in fright, then dashed out of the clearing in a panic, all of his peaceful, harmonic thoughts in a whirl of confusion.

Anubis watched the Ronin leap away like a startled deer, and sighed.  _Stupid of me to not realize that the shrine they created would bring my spirit to focus, he thought sadly.  __I should never have tried to follow them back in the first place.  He wandered into the clearing finally, alone again._

_Clink._

The ghost looked down at the grass beneath his insubstantial feet.  The tip of the _shakujo had planted itself in the folds of Sage's forgotten umbrella.  On an impulse, he concentrated, and his hand appeared to solidify.  With a quick, smooth motion, he bent to pick up the umbrella and began to walk._

The energy that kept him on the mortal plane was rapidly becoming depleted, but his ghostly, sandal-shod feet continued to lead him towards the Koji estate without conscious thought.  Only when his feet touched the cobbled walk of Mia's driveway did he truly realize what had happened.  He looked up at the grand old house doubtfully, experiencing a sudden attack of nerves.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~


	2. Meetings

**Revenance**

By  S. Arallion

Based on "Ronin Warriors"

(the English version of the anime series "Yoroiden Samurai Troopers")

**Disclaimer**:  All characters in this story are owned by their respective copyright holders—namely, not myself.  Anything you don't recognize is my fault.  I make absolutely no profit from my use of these characters.  ~~Arallion

Part 2:  Meetings

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"Sage, where have you been?  You're soaked!"  Mia scolded as the blond Ronin slammed the front door closed and locked it behind him, breathing hard.  His eyes were closed as he leaned back against the door.

"Again," Ryo murmured, having heard the tale of Sage's sparring defeat from Kento.  Everyone was gathered in the entryway, having been preparing to go out and search for him.

"Guys, you're _not_ going to believe this."

"Try us,"  Kento grinned.  "What is it this time?  More Dynasty soldiers?  A new Warlord that dumps water on your head?"

"Ha.  Ha."  Sage shook the water from his hair.  "I saw Anubis."

The chuckling that was echoing through the room after Kento's comments went abruptly silent.  They all looked at each other, and then back at Sage.

"Are you sure?"  Ryo asked seriously.  

"Of course I'm sure," Sage snapped, beginning to feel a little silly.  "He even looked irritated when I saw him—you know that expression he gets.  Er—got," he finished lamely.  "Look, I was at the shrine when it happened.  I'm sure it wasn't just a trick of the mist."

Mia was frowning pensively.  "Until now, you've only been able to see or hear him in dreams.  If you're correct, Sage, there may be something dreadfully wrong.  Perhaps he was trying to tell us something."

Sage blinked.  "I don't think so… he just seemed to be—well, _watching me."_

"Yeah, _if _he was there," Rowan raised an eyebrow.

"Hey, look, I'm more of a skeptic than you are.  I know what I saw."  Sage's grey eyes were flashing, and Mia looked at Ryo desperately.  He grinned at her and stepped in to defuse an impending argument..

"Okay, okay.  Let's drop it, guys.  How about some food?"  The boys dashed for the kitchen again, leaving Mia to stand in the entryway, blinking in bemusement.

She stood for a moment longer, listening to the lively noises coming from down the hall.  With a thoughtful glance at the front door, she suddenly unlocked it and stepped out onto the porch.  

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The opening door startled him more than it should have.  A great deal of concentration and energy was required to hang onto that blasted umbrella, he realized.  Setting the item down gently on the step, he looked up at the door.  

"Mia," he breathed softly.  Her pert, open face was troubled, unusually solemn— an expression that she had not worn for quite some time, as far as he knew.  He felt a strange twinge of sadness at that, watching her look around the darkening driveway searchingly.

Her gaze suddenly sharpened, and she moved to come down the stairs.  Anubis tensed, but realized that she was looking at the umbrella, carefully placed on the last step.  She bent down to pick it up, looking up and down the drive again as she did so.  Her gaze passed right by him, although he was now close enough to feel the lash of her flowing hair on his cheek.  _If I could_ feel it,_ he reminded himself wryly._

"Anubis," she whispered.

He almost fell over in shock, but it was obvious that she didn't actually sense his presence.  She gave a soft sigh, and picked up the umbrella, rising to go back up the stairs.  He watched her go, fighting off the sudden, overpowering wave of loneliness.  

It was at that moment that the _shakujo chose to chime.  Anubis hissed in dismay and grasped the rings on the ornately wrought staff with shaking hands.  __Damn, damn, damn…._

Mia's head whipped around and she stared out into the rain, but the familiar sound was gone.  Her eyes seemed to glimmer sadly.  "Anubis, if you're out there," she said faintly, "we miss you."  She turned and gently closed the door behind her.

Anubis held his form on the front step for several moments more, clutching the now-silent _shakujo_ with trembling hands.  _They missed __him?  Then his energy faded, and he let the Spirit Realm pull him limply away._

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"My umbrella," Sage noted with surprise as he passed through the entry on his way to the living room after dinner.  "How did that get in here?"

"I picked it up off the front step where you left it," Mia replied in a light tone, watching Sage closely.  He looked at her incredulously.  

"But I dropped it while I was running—er, I mean, walking!" The Ronin of Halo seemed a little unnerved.  

"You're sure?" Ryo stepped up beside Mia, looking quizzically at the umbrella in question.

Sage looked a little embarrassed.  "Ryo, would I say something like that if it didn't actually happen?"

Mia looked at them both with a worried expression.  "That would seem to indicate that there really _was_ someone there at the shrine.  And returning the lost umbrella—well, it doesn't seem like that would be the first thing to occur to a Dynasty creature.  Perhaps it _was_ Anubis that Sage saw."

"In which case, there's going to be something bad happening not far behind," Ryo sighed.  "But meanwhile, I think we should all sit down together and relax.  I think Rowan rented a silly movie from America, and we've got popcorn…."

Soothed by the gentle prattling of his friend, Sage trudged morosely into the living room.  Mia grinned at Ryo as they followed.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Ryo slept fitfully that night, half-expecting to wake and see the pale, ethereal form of Anubis standing in the corner of his room.  At the very least, he expected to dream of him.  

Finally at 3 a.m., he realized the futility of the situation.  How could he possibly dream if he wasn't even able to sleep?  He attempted to clear his mind in meditation at last, because it was better than nothing.

After long moments of silence, he began to relax into the meditative state that he'd practiced when trying to get "in tune" with his armor.  To his relief, it appeared to be working.  He saw the peaceful sky of his meditation place, the moss covered rocks and scraggly trees on the cliff overlooking a wide green valley… and suddenly he saw a faint, familiar outline.  Its back was to him, standing at the edge of the cliff, looking out over the world.

"Anubis?" he called.  The figure turned its head slowly, looking weary, but the eyes brightened as they focused on Ryo.  

"Wildfire—how did you find me?"  The voice in his mind was tinged with exhaustion.

Ryo's form made the equivalent of a shrug.  "I don't know.  I didn't really expect to find _you, I thought you might be trying to find us."_

"Oh."  The pointed face held its serene expression, but Ryo thought he saw a brief flash of uneasiness in the monk's eyes.

"We haven't seen you for a long time, it seems like."  Ryo continued to prod.

Anubis looked away from his gaze.  "No."

The bearer of the Armor of Wildfire sighed.  Same old Anubis, reticent as ever.  "You look tired," he commented finally.  "Is anything wrong?"

Again the flash of uneasiness, and the sea-colored eyes clouded over.  "In the grand scheme of things," he finally admitted with a wry look, "nothing is wrong at the moment." 

_Progress,_ Ryo thought.  _He made a  complete sentence, even if it _was_ in Ancient-ese. "You aren't trying to contact us, or warn us about anything?"_

"No."

Ryo grimaced.  Back to the monosyllabic answers. _Time to try another approach_, he decided.  "So… you didn't appear to Sage in the forest, and you didn't return his umbrella?"

Anubis shot Ryo a quick glance, but relaxed.  A slight chuckle escaped the former Warlord's lips.  "I really didn't mean to unnerve him, Wildfire.  I didn't think he could see me."

_Finally an admission_, Ryo smiled.  His astral form stepped closer to the cliff's edge, up to Anubis' side.  They looked out across the valley in silence.  

"How is everyone doing?"

Ryo hid his surprise.  The normally harsh timbre of Anubis' voice was softened, almost wistful.  "Um.  Well, we haven't seen any activity for a while, from the Nether Realm, but Lady Kayura wants us to keep prepared.  So we're still training with the armors, although we're all in school again during the week.  We usually go to Mia's on the weekends and hang out.  We can train all we like there… Yuli comes over to Mia's a lot to play with White Blaze, of course.  The kid's doing really well in school, and he's only gotten in a few fights."  Ryo looked sidelong at the slightly taller man, and saw a faint smile cross his lips.  He blinked, and continued.  

"Sage, Rowan and I have a lot of classes together.  Sage, of course, has a female fan club…"  he snorted mildly.  "I don't think I'm ever going to understand girls."

Anubis' head turned slightly.  "If you ever _do, write it down.  You'll make your fortune."_

Ryo's chuckle came out in a gasp at the unexpected humor.  "Anyway, let's see…  Kento is actually starting to get better grades, but I don't think he's eating any less.  None of us are sure where he puts it all. Cye is doing great with his family, and he's taken up music—I think he's learning how to play the guitar.  And Mia, well, she's still finishing her grandfather's work, I think.  I'm not really sure how far along with it she is.  I know she's been asked to teach at the university, and that she's given a few guest lectures on ancient history, but she's always fairly quiet about it."  He sighed.  "It seems like she doesn't really do things for herself anymore.  When we come over, she's always making sure that we're comfortable and eating right and enjoying ourselves, and when we're not there she's carrying on with her Grandfather's life, not her own."

Ryo trailed off thoughtfully, considering what he had just said.  He hadn't really thought of it that way before, but it made sense.  He looked across at the still features of his companion. "You're not really interested in all this, are you?"

Anubis returned his gaze quietly.  "What makes you say that?"

"You just look kind of—distant," Ryo sighed.  "And, I really don't know why you _would be interested in all this.  It's just, well, life."_

The monk's hat tipped forward, hiding the blue-green eyes.  "Exactly," came the whisper, so soft that Ryo wasn't certain he heard it at all.

"Why did you come to the mortal plane today, Anubis?  It looks like it took a lot out of you, " he prodded, beginning to wonder.

"Actually, I often come to the mortal plane," the former Warlord responded dully.  "I do worry about all of you, you know."

The Ronin of Wildfire blinked in astonishment.

"I usually watch you when you go up the mountain to practice," Anubis continued.  "Since it was raining today, I decided to try and find you elsewhere.  It seems that the closer I get to inhabited places, the more difficult it is for me to remain there, however.  And I didn't realize that the shrine you made for me would enhance my form—that was an interesting experience," he finished in a wry tone. 

"We didn't even know you were there," Ryo said in amazement.  

"You weren't meant to," Anubis responded with a slight smile, but it quickly faded.

The silence fell again as they continued to gaze out across the peaceful landscape.  

"Why not?"  Ryo asked, finally.

"Why not what?"

The boy ran his hands through his black hair and glared at Anubis.  "Why weren't we meant to know you were there?"  he said slowly and clearly.  He was starting to get the distinct impression that Anubis was avoiding his questions.

The impression was supported by another tilt of the hat, effectively blocking all attempts to see the monk's expressions.  "My presence could hinder your progress," the response came, somewhat stiffly.

"As _if_," Ryo muttered disbelievingly.  "And?"

Anubis shifted his stance in irritation.  "And—I'm not exactly supposed to be doing it in the first place.  Leave it at that, Wildfire."

The frank admission startled Ryo, and he caught himself staring at the tense form of Anubis with an open mouth.  He shut it quickly.  "But—"

"Ryo, leave it!"  The piercing gaze turned on him, diamond-hard in the narrow, drawn face.  The boy rocked back on his heels defensively, but continued to stare at the spirit he had once called enemy, and now called friend.  Anubis sighed and looked away.  "I'm sorry."

"It's okay," Ryo replied quietly.  The misery he had seen for a moment lurking behind the fierce glare was disturbing, and he wanted to do something to help.  "I guess I don't understand.  If it means anything… I'm glad you're watching us."

Anubis' eyebrows went up fractionally, and a faintly bemused smile flickered across the sharp features.  "Thank you, Wildfire." 

"Good night, Anubis."  Ryo felt his presence being pulled back.  He needed to sleep.

"Good night, Ryo of Wildfire," the ghost replied formally, not looking around.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~


	3. Dreams

**Revenance**

By  S. Arallion

Based on "Ronin Warriors"

(the English version of the anime series "Yoroiden Samurai Troopers")

**Disclaimer**:  All characters in this story are owned by their respective copyright holders—namely, not myself.  Anything you don't recognize is my fault.  I make absolutely no profit from my use of these characters.  ~~Arallion

Part 3:  Dreams

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Anubis remained motionless on the edge of  the cliff for a time, his long, red hair and the edge of his robes fluttering in the astral breeze.  Strange that the Ronin leader had sought him out, he mused, feeling the exhaustion from his earlier activities wash through his limbs just as it would had he been mortal, after a strenuous battle.  

He had been floating in nothingness, too spent to even hold a recognizable form, still stinging from the Ancient One's gentle rebuke for expending so much to stay in their presence.  Apparently a spirit such as he was horribly vulnerable to any spiritual attack while drained and still on the mortal plane.  The Ancient, knowing his stubborn will, further drained his energy until he could barely move around the spirit realm, let alone return to the mortals.  He knew it to be for his own well-being, but the feeling of loss was almost unbearable.

Then suddenly he was standing _here, being approached by Ryo.  The Ronin's energy must have strengthened him just enough to become visible on the astral plane.   He was surprised, and uncertain of his welcome.  But the Ronin leader seemed to think that __he  had willed __himself there, into Ryo's meditation, and not the other way around.  Anubis had carefully done nothing to disabuse him of that notion._

It had been… _nice_… to speak with Ryo,  Anubis admitted to himself.  Hearing the boy prattle on about his comrades' activities, their escapades, and about Mia…  it had been pleasurable.  A luxury that he had not been allowed for a very long time….  

"Hello, my young friend."

The voice was chillingly familiar, with an eerily echoing resonance.  Anubis froze in place, his eyes scanning quickly across the sky.  

"I'm glad to see that you recognize me, and fear my power…" the voice commented with a self-satisfied chuckle.  

The blue-green eyes narrowed.  "I do not fear your power, Talpa.  Nor do I fear you, or any of your puppets."

"Indeed."  The voice seemed amused.  "The Ancient should have taught you better.  A pity that you won't have a second chance to learn this lesson."

Anubis planted the _shakujo firmly in the ground, head thrown back in a defiant stance.  "What do you think you can possibly do to me?  I'm already dead."  But a strange feeling was coming over him—almost like a strong wind was attempting to pull him off his feet.  Too late, he realized that his spirit was being transferred to another plane, and that he didn't have the strength left to fight it.  _

_There are worse things than death_, he thought bitterly, as the world tipped out from beneath his feet.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Ryo awoke with a start from his dream.  Sitting bolt upright, he looked around the simple room nervously.  To his surprise, Rowan was sitting up as well.

"Did you hear—" they both started at the same time, and fell silent, staring at each other.

"Talpa?"  Ryo finished the question.

"I thought so," Rowan answered, frowning thoughtfully.

"Something's happening," the Ronin of Wildfire scowled, hurriedly clambering out of the bed and into his street clothes.  His nerves weren't helped by the worried growling of White Blaze, pacing at the doorway.

They found the other boys in the hallway, having also just awakened.  

"Did you guys have a dream too?"  Rowan asked quickly.  Kento and Cye nodded sleepily, still too tired to focus.

"Yes, and I think it must be more than a dream," Sage replied.  "If we all heard Talpa, I mean."

"We did," Ryo muttered.  White Blaze growled in assent.

The doorbell rang, and they all froze, looking at each other.

Downstairs, the swift patter of Mia's footsteps could be heard in the entryway.  The door creaked open, and a murmur of voices floated up to them.  The tone of Mia's voice was welcoming, but worried.  White Blaze's ears perked up in recognition.

"Guys?  Are you awake?  I think you'd better come down here," the clear voice called up to them.

With one last nervous look, the Ronins skittered down the stairs.

"Lady Kayura?"

The small, dark-haired woman was sitting down in a comfortable chair, accepting a cup of tea from Mia. She looked up at the young men with haunted eyes.  "Hello, Ryo.  Hello, all of you.  I apologize for coming unannounced…"

"But there's an emergency," Ryo guessed, sitting on the couch next to her chair.  White Blaze laid down watchfully at his feet.  

"We all had a dream," Cye commented, finding a chair along with his friends.  

"And I saw Anubis yesterday," Sage interjected.  Kayura gave him a sharp glance.

"It is interesting that you bring up that name, Sage," she sighed.  "That information may have something to bear on the news I bring."  Her dark eyes looked fearful.  "There have been stirrings in the Nether Realm.  The Warlords and I have been tracking the disturbances, and we have uncovered some worrisome information." At their concerned expressions, she held up a hand.  "It gets worse.  The Armor of Loyalty is gone."

"What?"  Collectively, the Ronins half-rose to their feet, accompanied by a muffled rumble from the white tiger.

"How did that happen?" Ryo exclaimed.  "_You_ were holding that armor."

"I know," Kayura replied with a look of embarrassment.  "I haven't used it, but it _was_ my responsibility.  I haven't an excuse, but neither do I have an explanation for what happened.  The orb simply disappeared.  Unfortunately, I may now have a theory as to what happened to it, and it is not good news for us."

They looked at each other in dismay.  

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Anubis floated in nothingness, waiting for something to happen.  He stifled the anger he felt at himself, because it did no good.  He wondered briefly what it was going to be like to encounter the Ankoku spirits as a spirit himself.  _Probably not pleasant, he shuddered, and tried to think about something—anything—else._

A sibilant whispering began, just above the silence.  Gradually increasing in intensity, the murmur of voices began to congeal into words, and the words were full of emptiness and despair. 

He tried to still his mind with the serenity taught by the Ancient, but the insistent moaning of the Ankoku shattered his concentration.  He could feel their cold touch on his thoughts, molding him to Talpa's demands, and felt unbidden anger rise with his sense of helplessness.

Shaking with the effort, he stifled the anger.  He was trapped by his own foolishness, and the only person he had to blame for it would be himself.  The only question to focus on now was _why he had been captured in the first place.  The blue-green eyes narrowed in thought, as the shrieking threats of the Ankoku faded into the background._

He wasn't of any use as a warrior, of course.  Talpa's methods of control were all physical, and as a ghost, physical things had no hold on him.  He didn't command the Armor of Loyalty either, as it should have passed to Kayura, the Ancient's descendant, upon his death.  

Perhaps knowledge made him valuable?  That didn't make sense either, he thought wryly.  Everything he knew could be easily discovered if one was persistent and looked in the right places.  Admittedly, he had an advantage in the form of the Ancient, who often assisted him in finding those "right places"… but that information wouldn't be available if he were in the clutches of the Dynasty.

The concept of using him as a hostage didn't quite work either—he hoped.  He knew with a grim satisfaction that those tactics wouldn't work with the Ancient.  However, the Ronins and Warlords might be another story.  It was a shaky proposition, though, and he'd never known Talpa to expend much effort on something that tenuous.

He finally decided that Talpa had a major attack planned, and that he was being kept out of the way so as to leave the Ronins unwarned.  There were still flaws in that view, but at least it made some amount of sense.  Growling in frustration, Anubis settled down to bide his time, conserving his energy in hopes of finding some way to break free.  

The Ankoku continued to howl at him, creating their own wind that tore at his form and set his hair streaming behind him like a red banner.  He shuddered despite himself, trying to ignore the dizzying feeling that swept over him.

An environment began to come slowly into focus around him.  Squinting in the wind, he tried to make out where he was forming.  Grey stone walls appeared slowly, followed by a slate flagstone floor, and steps.  Ankoku spirits lined the walls, blank, eerily staring eyes oddly solid in their ethereal faces.  Anubis tore his gaze away from them, chilled, and stared down at the floor, and the raised dais to which he seemed to be floating.

His eyes widened in shock.  _This can't be happening…_  

"Relax, Anubis.  This will only take a moment.  Just think, you will be alive again!"  The echoing voice rang in his ears uncomfortably. Below him on a stone slab lay what he could only assume to be his former body, encased by the familiar contours of the Armor of Loyalty.  The figure was uncorrupted, still and silent as if asleep.

"You can't do this!" he gasped in reply, but the inexorable pull on his spirit was telling him otherwise.  "I won't submit to you, even if you somehow manage to bring me back."

"Yes, I'm sure," the voice chuckled.  "Not that you will have a choice, of course.  You, my young friend, are going to be instrumental in my plan to destroy the Ronin Warriors and take over the mortal realm."

Anubis bit back the cry of anger and frustration that rose in his throat, and channeled it into a desperate effort to break free.  The Ankoku held him fast, not even faltering at the force he pulled away from them with, and slammed his ghostly form down towards the waiting shell with such power that he was overwhelmed.  Everything went black.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

In Mia's sitting room, the Ronin Warriors listened as Kayura told them of her suspicions.  A deathly silence fell, and then they all began shouting at once.

"That's impossible!"  Rowan blurted, eyes wide with horror.  

"Can Talpa really manage such a thing?" Sage questioned.

"What a terrifying idea," Cye muttered, shuddering.

Yuli and Mia said nothing, but the young boy stood very close to her side, and she wrapped an arm around his small shoulders.

"Can we do anything about it?"  Kento said fiercely.

Ryo watched Kayura closely.  She was turning quite pale.  "It's happening now, isn't it," he asked rhetorically.  When she blinked at him distractedly, he sighed.  "So what happens to us, if Talpa brings back Anubis and somehow manages to gain control of him and the Armor of Loyalty again?"

Kayura dropped her head miserably.  "I don't know, Wildfire.  It could simply put us back in the position we were in before, with the armors separated across sides.  Or, it could be much worse."

"How?" Ryo pressed.

She looked at him steadily.  "If Talpa has succeeded in altering the Armor of Loyalty to the extent that it could control Anubis' mind, he could very well have altered it so that it would take the place of the Armor of Wildfire in calling the Inferno Armor, or perhaps a warped facsimile of it."

The Warriors exchanged worried looks.  

"That would be bad," Cye grunted, stating what everyone was thinking.

"Kayura, don't the Warlords need to know about this?"  Rowan said thoughtfully.

"They already do," the woman assured him.  "I am concerned though… I feel that something may have happened already, even as we speak.  I should return to the Nether Realm."  She hesitated for a moment.  "Ronins—I hate even to think of this, but should we fail to hold the Nether Realm against Talpa—may we take refuge with you here to take our stand?"

"Of course," Ryo said solemnly, rising as she did.  "Let's hope it doesn't come to that."

"Let's hope," Kayura agreed with a very small smile.  She held up a hand, made a strange gesture, and disappeared.

"What did I tell you?"  Sage growled.  "Anubis shows up, and something bad happens."

Mia thumped him gently, but meaningfully, on the head.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~


	4. Nightmares

**Revenance**

By  S. Arallion

Based on "Ronin Warriors"

(the English version of the anime series "Yoroiden Samurai Troopers")

**Disclaimer**:  All characters in this story are owned by their respective copyright holders—namely, not myself.  Anything you don't recognize is my fault.  I make absolutely no profit from my use of these characters.  ~~Arallion

Part 4:  Nightmares

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Heavy.  That was the only word to describe how he felt.  His eyes flickered open and immediately closed again.

All right, there was another word.  Ouch.

Anubis had never experienced such a debilitating headache in his life—or death, for that matter.  The pain lanced through his eyes and started a dangerous tremolo in the back of his head, between the muscles of his neck and his spine.  Gritting his teeth, he tried to move his head, in hopes that the movement would stop the spasms in his muscles.

The movement didn't feel good, but it did have the desired effect.  He took a deep breath, and then another, suddenly realizing that he _was breathing.  Really breathing—and smelling the real, stale air of Talpa's Dynasty throne room, he noticed with a lurch of his heart._

Talpa had actually done it.  He was alive, if barely.  

Someone was grasping his limp arms and pulling him upright.  He tried to pull away from the touch, but at this movement an excruciating tingle began in his limbs, provoking a gasp of pain.  His eyes blearily focused on the Dynasty soldiers who held him up, and then looked past them.

Talpa was actually attending this disgusting ritual in person, he noted with a shudder.  At the Dynasty Lord's side floated Badamon, the cunning Ankoku high priest and Talpa's advisor.  

The Dynasty Lord was extremely satisfied with his work.  "Ah, Anubis.  So nice of you to finally join us….  How do you like being alive again?"

The ex-Warlord blinked painfully.  "It leaves a little to be desired,"  he said in a dry tone.

Talpa chuckled again.  "Don't worry, my dear boy.  The pain will pass soon enough.  It is merely your body awakening from its dormancy.  Badamon tells me that he has something that can help you through this, if you will allow it."

The blue-green eyes narrowed angrily.  "I don't think so."

"Ah, well," Talpa rumbled with a noncommittal wave of his armored hand.  "Take him to his chambers, then."

Anubis was lifted by the Dynasty creatures and helplessly carried from the throne room.  He grimaced in frustration.  Normally he should have been able to take out two Dynasty soldiers even if his feet _weren't_ touching the ground, but right now he couldn't lift his head without feeling as if he were going to pass out.  He sighed mentally.  _What happens now?_

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

With a flash of golden light, Lady Kayura appeared above the fields of the Nether Realm.  She hung motionlessly for a time, extending her senses through the fabric of the sphere.  

All appeared calm on the surface.  The lacy flowers in the fields moved gently in the wind, causing a quiet rustle.  Nothing else moved.

As she waited, deepening her connection, a strange dark current flowed across her consciousness.  It was a horribly familiar feeling, a presence that had held her in sway for decades.  She flinched away, but it wasn't paying attention to her—instead, it was focusing all its attention on a single shining thread at its center…  and that thread was familiar to her as well.

Kayura came back to herself with a frightened gasp, and raced onward to the home she and the Warlords shared, sending out an urgent call as she ran.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The room Anubis awoke in was one that he had never seen during his time in the Dynasty.  The walls, ceiling and floor were stone, but a light, smooth stone that looked almost soft.  The furnishings were of gently curved wood, and the hangings and upholstery were in shades of green.  A hall led to another room, and an upright mirror stood in the corner.

He pushed his complaining body—great Spirits, he actually had a body again!—up to a sitting position on the edge of the bed and waited for the dizziness to pass.  After a moment, he felt well enough to attempt standing and did so.  His armor clanked on the stone floor and he looked down at himself in surprise.

He frowned.  Something was very wrong.  After a period of unconsciousness the armor should have been dismissed, but there it was.

The Armor of Loyalty clacked in a familiar rhythm as he walked across the room to the mirror.  Looking at the image curiously, his eyes widened.  "What in the name of the Ancient One…"  

A strange golden insignia was overlaid on his chest plate.  The same insignia appeared on a golden bracer on his left arm, and the greave on his right leg.  He peered closely at it, trying to remember where he had seen the emblem, but the effort began to bring back his headache.

Shaking his head in defeat, he tried to dismiss the armor.  The magical plate seemed to struggle against his command, though, and dematerialized with agonizing slowness.  Worried, he looked at himself in the mirror once more.  There was nothing odd about his sub-armor, but the feeling of _wrongness was still present.  His blue-green eyes flashed in irritation at his inability to think, as the headache thundered behind his eyes._

Suddenly distracted, he touched his face with one hand.  The feeling was strange to him, having been a spirit for so long.  He didn't understand how Talpa had accomplished this feat, and he was terrified that it meant he would be Talpa's slave once more.  But the hope began to surface that possibly—just possibly—he could go back to the mortal world and experience a normal, mortal life.  Perhaps he would even be able to help Mia in her work, allowing her to finish her grandfather's tasks that much sooner and to begin following her own dreams…  

The eyes that looked back at him from the mirror looked faintly startled at this thought, and the pale, narrow face colored slightly.  

Anubis narrowed his eyes and glared at his reflection in the mirror, then stalked back across the room to the bed.  He was asleep almost immediately, despite the horror of his situation.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"He _can't DO_ that," insisted Cale flatly.  

Kayura's hands twitched as she fought the urge to box the Warlord of Corruption's ears.  She settled for merely glaring at him until he sat down with a sullen look.  "What he can and cannot do are beside the point, gentlemen," she pointed out, one eyebrow soaring upward at the appellation.  "Talpa seems to be back in action.  The Ankoku spirits are rising again.  I no longer have control of the Armor of Loyalty.  And all signs seem to indicate that Anubis' spirit has disappeared from the astral plane.  No matter how one looks at it, it spells trouble for us and the mortal realm!"

Dais, slightly older than the rest of the Warlords, tapped his index fingers against his lips thoughtfully.  "Your conclusion is a logical extension of the circumstances," he admitted finally.  "No matter how unwilling we may be to believe it."  Kayura rolled her eyes at him, but he chose to ignore the gesture.  "Now the question is:  what do we do about it, if Anubis really has been called back to life to serve Talpa?  Is there anything we _can do about it?"_

Sekhmet shuddered, from his quiet position in the corner.  "I can't even imagine what it would be like, to wake from your peaceful final sleep and see Talpa's ugly face hovering over you."

Cale shot him a glance.  "As far as I've been able to tell, Anubis' 'final sleep' has been anything but peaceful.  Damn annoying ghost…"

Kayura nonchalantly thumped him on the head.  He glared up at her, and she smiled sweetly back at him.  She knew the Warlord well enough to see that he was very uneasy with the new situation, and that he worried more for their one-time leader's wellbeing than he let on.  

"We don't have a lot of time to discuss, I'm afraid.  Talpa's influence over the Dynasty creatures will still be great, and the lure of power and control over the mortal realm will entice many to his side.  We are going to have to find his lair and see if Anubis is under his control, and then try to get him away.  That will be more difficult, the longer Talpa has to gather forces against us."

Dais pushed himself away from the wall he was leaning against with a grim look.  His white hair seemed to glow in the dim room.  "What are we standing around here talking about it for, then?" he grumbled.  "To arms!"

The transformation to their armor was a familiar comfort that they had only recently begun to enjoy, without the threat of Talpa's wrath constantly hanging over them.  Looking around at each other, however, one person was decidedly underdressed.

"Kayura.  Will you be all right without your Armor?"  Dais frowned.

She tossed her long dark hair with a smile.  "It was never _my Armor," she pointed out.  "Besides, I survived without the Armor of Loyalty before we defeated Talpa.  I can do it again," her voice was light as she tapped her twin Starlight Swords meaningfully._

Cale smirked at Dais, who merely grunted acknowledgement.  Sekhmet laughed.  

"Dais, you said that you came upon a strange darkness to the south of here, before I called you all back," the Ancient's descendant stated.  "Do you have a clear picture of it in your mind?  I can get us partially there and cut down on our time."  

The Warlord of Illusion nodded briskly and they all joined hands.  Kayura began to chant, and the strange group shimmered into a streak of light that raced across the sky, heading south.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"I don't trust it at all." Rowan glowered out at the peaceful lake from Mia's balcony.  

The Ronin Warriors were perched around Mia's workshop/office.  Mia had gone up to look for more information on the armors and their potential for alteration, or the possibility of resurrection of an Armor Bearer.  One by one the boys had come upstairs to check on her progress, until all of the household was there, nervous as cats in a roomful of rocking chairs.  She was finding it a little difficult to concentrate.

"Mia, have you found anything yet?"

She sighed, flipping a lock of hair over her shoulder.  "No, Kento, I haven't.  I'll yell if I do, I promise!"  It had been bad enough when Anubis had been there looking over her shoulder, completely unfamiliar with computers in his four-hundred-year-old naïveté, but now she had five of the boys to deal with.  Plus Yuli—but he knew better than to interrupt her thoughts.  

"What don't you trust, Rowan?"  Ryo's question distracted the boys.

Rowan tugged at his forelock worriedly.  "Well, first of all, the idea of Talpa being up to his old tricks again.  Didn't we flatten that Dynasty creep well enough to keep him down?  And second, Kayura's theory about Anubis being brought back to life and controlled through his armor is just weird.  I mean, I suppose if Talpa comes back from the dead all the time, he could bring someone else back too.  But Talpa couldn't control him before, why should he be able to now?"

Mia was distracted despite herself.  "Those are good questions, Rowan," she started.  "I think I know the answer to the first one, however.  The Ancient knew that Talpa could never really be destroyed, because he was the avatar of evil.  Evil is still present in the mortal realm, in the form of fear, despair, avarice—and all the other traits that are the dark side of being human.  He could only be contained, never removed entirely.  Perhaps the wars going on around the world are strengthening him."

"Maybe that strength also allows him to attract other followers," Cye spoke up, uncharacteristically somber.  "Remember Sun Devil and Saranbo—and Badamon.  There might be others that we don't know about, that could combine with Talpa to have the power to bring Anubis back and control him…"

Rowan turned to face them from his position on the balcony, crossing his arms.  "Okay, I see what you mean.  But finally, if all this is really happening in the Nether Realm, _why_ didn't Kayura bring us there with her to help them?  I mean, it sounds like this could be a major battle.  Three Warlords and Lady Kayura don't seem like quite enough juice to stop something like this."

"Agreed," Ryo said, frowning.  "But we can't get to the Nether Realm without her help, so we have to wait and trust them.  I know it's still hard to do," he grinned, forestalling a smart remark from Kento, "but we don't have a choice this time."

"Do we ever?" Sage grumbled from his position on the floor.

Mia sighed and returned to her search.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"And how is our prisoner, Badamon?" the booming voice rolled across the audience chamber.

Badamon's ghostly form approached the throne smoothly.  "He is weak, Master Talpa," he stated confidently.  "He will soon drink my herbal infusion voluntarily to stave off the pain, or he will be too weak to resist when we force him to drink it.  Either way, the same result," the Ankoku High Priest chuckled with a hint of malice.

"Be sure that the result will be the same," warned Talpa.  "Your overconfidence has brought us grief before.  Anubis' will is strong, stronger than you may anticipate.  Prepare accordingly."

The sallow face of the priest blanched at the rebuke.  "Yes, Lord Talpa."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~


	5. Darkness

**Revenance**

By  S. Arallion

Based on "Ronin Warriors"

(the English version of the anime series "Yoroiden Samurai Troopers")

**Disclaimer**:  All characters in this story are owned by their respective copyright holders—namely, not myself.  Anything you don't recognize is my fault.  I make absolutely no profit from my use of these characters.  ~~Arallion

Part 5:  Darkness

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Anubis awoke at last to the dimly lit stone room, feeling as if he hadn't slept at all.  His limbs were heavy, his eyes stung, and the headache hadn't diminished in the slightest.  With an involuntary groan, he pushed himself up to a sitting position.  

The pain behind his eyes shouted at him to lie back down, but he stubbornly ignored it.  Worriedly, he looked at his gauntleted hands.  The armor had returned as he slept, it seemed, and its constant presence was draining his energy.  _How is it doing__ this? he growled to himself.  It didn't make sense.  Unless it had something to do with those new plates and engravings… _

He examined the plate on his arm carefully.  The original armor was still there, underneath the carved and gilded overlay, but it seemed odd.  The carving was beautiful; a stylized bird that appeared to be trailing flames from its wings.  A phoenix, he realized suddenly.

_Kayura wouldn't have altered this armor._  The phoenix was definitely lovely enough for her, but it wouldn't have occurred to her to adapt the Armor of Loyalty—she had always considered it _his_, and herself a mere caretaker.  It had to have been Talpa's doing.

The blue-green eyes closed for a moment as Anubis tried to force the headache aside long enough to think.  _What do I know about the Phoenix legend?_  _Of course… it "rises from the ashes"—it resurrects itself!_  His eyes widened.  Talpa must have used the symbol as a focus to bring him back to life.  _Could it be that I now _require_ the Armor in order to live? Does that mean that he now owns my soul?_

Suddenly angry, the former Warlord again tried to dismiss the armor.  It reverted unwillingly to sub-armor, but he continued to concentrate on it.  The stabbing pain in his head increased as he struggled to dismiss it completely. 

The pain suddenly lessened.  Anubis opened his eyes to find himself kneeling, doubled over, on the stone floor.  The sub-armor was gone.  Thankfully he noted that the blue and white monk's robes had taken its place.  He hadn't thought about what he would have done if his clothing hadn't materialized.

Touching his head gingerly with his fingers, he was almost surprised to find it intact.  He got to his feet somewhat unsteadily, and pulled the small golden orb that was the heart of his armor from his pocket.

It _seemed_ completely normal, but then, he hadn't bothered to look at the thing for quite some time.

He was about to set the jewel on the edge of the bed and walk away from it, testing the theory that he couldn't survive without the armor's presence, when he heard the outer door open.  Tucking the orb away, he peered around the corner.

A thin, familiar voice floated through the room.  "Anubis?  Are you awake?"

_Badamon.  _His day was not improving, it appeared.  He pressed himself against the wall, cursing the lingering weakness.  

"Anubis?"  The voice was getting closer.

"I'm awake," he muttered, cringing away from the nasal tones that seemed to intensify his headache.  He stepped away from the door, back into the room.

The apparition of the Ankoku High Priest glided through the door, holding a steaming bowl of amber liquid.  "Ah, good.  Good.  Are you feeling any better?"

"I'm fine," Anubis said in a flat tone, looking hard at the bowl.

Badamon chuckled, a thin, scratchy sound that reminded Anubis of a nest of annoyed spiders.  "Always the stoic, you were.  Come, now.  I can do something for your pain.  It will not abate on its own."  He held out the bowl to Anubis.

Anubis ignored it, turning his sharp glare on the priest.  "This pain is caused by whatever you did to bring me here? Then why, priest, should I trust you?"

"Yes, not I alone of course, but yes," Badamon waved a clawlike hand dismissively, ignoring the second question.  "Come, drink it.  You will not find it distasteful, I assure you."

"I find everything about this situation distasteful," Anubis muttered, taking the bowl as it seemed he wasn't being given a choice.  

The former Warlord sniffed the vapors warily, thin nostrils flaring.  The liquid appeared to be a rich tea, dark golden amber at the top deepening subtly to red in the bottom of the bowl—but that could have been the color of the mottled clay.  It smelled innocuous enough—slightly floral, a brisk sharpness of mint.  

"Drink before it cools," urged the High Priest, staring intently at the hesitant Anubis.  

The pain suddenly lanced through Anubis' head, nearly forcing him to his knees.  He nearly dropped the bowl of tea, but Badamon's hand darted forward and rescued it before it fell. 

"You see, now?  You had best take my advice, young one."

Anubis staggered to the bed and sat down before his balance gave out, stifling the whimper of pain that was trying to escape.  He gritted his teeth and managed to glare at Badamon for an entire second before having to close his eyes.

Badamon looked at his handiwork for a moment and smirked.  He placed the warm bowl in Anubis' white, trembling hands, and lifted it to the warrior's lips.  The blue-green eyes flared open for a moment, but the pain was overcoming any shred of resistance.  Shaking now, the former Warlord swallowed some of the infusion.  After a moment, he was drinking slowly without Badamon's assistance.  

"Drink it all," the soft, nasal voice urged, when Anubis hesitated upon encountering the deep red dregs of the infusion.  They were duly swallowed, and Badamon rescued his clay bowl again before the Warlord's hand relaxed in unconsciousness.

The Ankoku High Priest looked down with amusement at his success.  He rested a hand on the smooth, red hair, noting with satisfaction the renewed color in the Warlord's face, the emotionless mask of his features.  "Perfect," he murmured.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Kayura felt her control over their travel weakening, and set them all down gently before they were unceremoniously dropped.  The three Warlords looked at her curiously as their armored feet settled to the rocks with a clattering sound.

"What is it, Lady?"  Cale asked.  

A strong, lazy wind pushed incessantly at them, glacially cold.  They stood on a sheer rock formation, looking across a wide chasm dotted with huge, grey boulders and unsteady looking slabs of rock.  Piles of snow could be seen here and there in the shadows of the jagged terrain.

"Talpa's influence over this place is strong," Kayura answered worriedly.  "I cannot bring us any closer without alerting him to our presence."

"Well, let's get hiking, then," Sekhmet responded matter-of-factly.  The Warlord of Venom began to climb down the rock face with ease, finding invisible hand and footholds.  Dais looked at him, eyebrow raised, and sighed.

"Get going," Kayura said in a warning tone.  The white-haired Warlord glanced at her with a sour look, then hopped off the edge, using a narrow band of his armor's power to descend on a magical filament.  Kayura noted with approval that Dais was using only a fraction of his power, knowing that Talpa could sense the use of their armors.

Cale gestured to her.  "Your turn, Lady," he said grimly.  "Will you be all right?"

"I'm sure it's not as bad as it looks," she replied, but couldn't help a doubtful look over the edge.  It was a long climb down.  Shrugging, she clambered off the edge and began following Sekhmet's "path".

Dais glided to a halt next to her as she came to a resting point on the climb.  "Doing all right?"  

"I'm _sweating_," she growled, half-seriously.  "All right so far, though.  Go on down."

He looked up briefly at Cale before replying. "If it's all right with you, I'll just hang out.  Just in case, you understand."

Kayura rolled her eyes at both the pun and the concern.  "Since when did you become a gentleman?"

The Warlord grinned at her.  "Since Cale told me he'd rearrange my plating if I didn't…"

They both looked up at Cale, who glared back at them.  "Stop looking up my skirt," he yelled down at them.  Kayura's mouth dropped open and she started to giggle.  

"Now look what you did," Dais hollered up at the Warlord of Corruption, and grabbed onto Kayura's hand as she continued to laugh.  "Stop that, you'll fall." 

Dutifully, the Ancient's girlish descendant choked back her laughter and turned to the serious business of getting to the bottom of the cliff without any broken bones.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

                _Arise, Warlord.  It is time to see the Master._

                The sibilant voice echoed faintly in Anubis' ears.  He opened his eyes abruptly, but there was no one else in the room.  Something deep inside him said he should be wary, but his conscious mind couldn't quite be stirred to think about it.  Meanwhile, he was getting up from the bed and leaving his chambers, already clad in his gray sub-armor.  

                Anubis' footsteps clicked down the stone corridor in a steady rhythm, the echo merely reinforcing his trance-like state.  Although he had never been in these corridors before, his path led him directly to Talpa's throne room.  He noted this as strange, but again, was not inclined to question.  Striding through the huge doors he knelt before the stone steps, folding his hands on one knee patiently.

                The thick wax column candles flickered, guttered, and then flared a blinding blue, as Talpa's avatar appeared in the smoky air.  "Anubis."

                "I am here, Master Talpa," the Warlord answered without hesitation.

                Talpa's tone was thoughtful.  "How are you feeling, Anubis?"

                The Warlord's head raised, a confused expression on his face.  "Master?"  He had been ill?  Injured?  Strangely, he couldn't seem to remember anything of that nature.

                Talpa's glowing eyes focused on his minion with interest.  It seemed that Badamon's plan had worked.  He chuckled in pleasure, a deep, gravelly sound.  "Rise, Anubis.  Now that you are feeling more yourself, I have a small task for you."

                The glossy red hair fell forward as Anubis lowered his head respectfully.  "It is my honor to serve, Master Talpa."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

                "Wait," Kayura hissed as Sekhmet began to round one of the huge outcroppings left by the glacial ice.  She had a strange sensation, as if someone was watching them, and in Talpa's domain, that certainly meant no good.

                "What is it?"  The Warlord of Venom turned to look at her curiously.

                "I think we're about to find out,"  Dais commented dryly as a rank-smelling gust of wind blew past them.  

                "I'm not sure I _want to find out," muttered Cale, almost to himself._

                Cautiously, they all peeked around the curve of the rock face.  Nothing was obviously out of place in the barren, rock-studded landscape.  Sekhmet shrugged and began to stride forward.

                A shower of pebbles pelted their armor and the ground nearby.  Kayura ducked and protected her head.  "Scatter!" she yelled piercingly.

                The four warriors scrambled and dove in opposite directions, just in time to miss being landed on by twenty Dynasty soldiers, the armored goons of Talpa.  

                "Hah!  A fight!" Cale crowed, drawing his swords.

                "There are probably more where those came from," Kayura warned, but the other Warlords were busy making short work of their opponents.  Leaving them to it, she trotted out to the other side of the outcropping so that she could see more of the area.  No other enemies were presenting themselves.

                "What is going on?" she whispered to herself.  

                Her three companions jogged up to her, eyes bright with excitement.  "Lady Kayura, you didn't join us," Cale jibed.  "Why ever not?"

                "It _was strange, wasn't it?"  _

                Kayura looked sharply at Dais.  The white-haired Warlord was noted for his observational abilities.  If he was troubled, there was probably good reason for it.  "What do you mean, Dais?"

                The Warlord of Illusion pursed his thin lips in thought.  "Guerrilla tactics.  Ambush, so few men.  It's not like Talpa at all.  You remember how he usually sent in a mess of soldiers to soften the enemies up a bit, before we arrived?"

                It was true.  They looked at each other warily.

                "This seems like it's designed to wear us down, get us to make mistakes… perhaps even separate us."  Dais folded his arms and glowered out at the ice-burnt land, as if it was the landscape's fault.

                Cale snorted and shrugged.  "Or, it could just be that we ran into a scouting party, and no one's looking for us at all,"  he pointed out.  The other Warlord shot him a dangerous look.

                Kayura grimaced.  "I'd rather be alive and paranoid than dead and complacent," she retorted.  "Let's assume, for the sake of argument, that Talpa's expecting us.  What's going to be next?"

                "More soldiers," Sekhmet murmured from behind them.

                "That's quite likely," Kayura agreed.  "Then—"

                "No, really," the Warlord of Venom interrupted, grabbing her by the shoulder and turning her around to face the other direction.  "More soldiers!"

                They gaped at the sea of steel blue armor that was charging towards them.

                "Kayura, tell me again why you didn't bring those kids from the Mortal Realm with you…"

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Author's Note:  Whose romance will it be?  Well, I originally designed it as a Mia x Anubis—sort of a Florence Nightingale thing.  But, I've not written the story completely yet so I'm open to well-reasoned arguments as to why a young woman like Mia would be interested in any one of the other boys.  (Yes, I've read other Ronin fanfic, and some of them do a good job with the Mia x random Ronin pairing—but that doesn't mean I buy into it completely. They're so… young-acting!)  ;)

Thanks to all who reviewed!

~~ S. Arallion


	6. Revelation

**Revenance**

By  S. Arallion

Based on "Ronin Warriors"

(the English version of the anime series "Yoroiden Samurai Troopers")

**Disclaimer**:  All characters in this story are owned by their respective copyright holders—namely, not myself.  Anything you don't recognize is my fault.  I make absolutely no profit from my use of these characters.  ~~Arallion

Part 6:  Revelation

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

                "I've found something."

                The Ronin Warriors looked up at Mia with one quick motion, freezing in whatever nervous activity they had been engaging in.  "What is it, Mia?"

                Her expression was somber as she began to descend the stairs.  "Well, as far as I can tell," she sighed, "it's entirely possible that Anubis has been brought back to life—and under Talpa's control."

                A collective groan of dismay rose from the living room.  "Did you find anything else, Mia?  Anything that might help us?"  Ryo broke in.

                Mia walked over to the couch and flopped onto it.  "I might have.  It depends a lot on Anubis, however…"  

                "How so?"  Cye, sitting next to her on the couch, voiced everyone's response.

                "Well, here's how I read it," she replied.  "Talpa, with the assistance of the Nether Spirits, can create additional parts for the armors—they were, after all, his at one point.  The effect of these additions is determined by the power of the Nether Spirits. They usually take the form of an emblem or sigil of some kind.  

                "If Talpa created a "phoenix" sigil for the Armor of Loyalty, it could be used to reunite Anubis' spirit with his body.  Since the Armor is missing, we should probably assume that this has occurred."

                "Ewww," Rowan interjected, a look of horror on his face.  "Wouldn't Anubis' body have—well, sort of _disintegrated_ by now?"  

                "Ewwwww…." The rest of the boys cringed at the thought.  

                Mia rolled her eyes.  "If that were the case, it probably wouldn't work," she pointed out.  "However, we never did recover his body from the Nether Realm, and we know that his death was caused by an extreme channeling of power to break the spell on Lady Kayura.   That much power could have kept his body intact for who knows how long."

                Cye looked thoughtful.  "That counts as martyrdom, doesn't it?  Maybe he became a saint.  It's said that the bodies of saints are 'immune to corruption'."  Five pairs of disbelieving eyes turned to him and he coughed in embarrassment.  "Well, that's what I read, anyway."

                Ryo grinned.  "Umm… 'Saint Anubis'?  I don't think so…"

                "Whatever he was, we have to assume that he's alive now and he's being controlled by Talpa through the Armor,"  Mia brought them back to the subject.  "Now, the information my Grandfather had on this was vague, but it seems to hint that this control can be broken if the subject becomes aware of it, and has the desire to break it."

                An uneasy silence fell.  "Do you think Kayura knows about this?"  Ryo asked to no one in particular, black hair falling forward into serious eyes.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

                "How are you doing?"  Cale yelled across ten goons at Kayura as she slashed her way in a vicious silver arc, leaving crumpling, inanimate suits of armor in her wake.  

                "I'm _sweating," she hollered back at him angrily.  "But I'm fine."_

                With a snort of amusement, the Warlord of Corruption hacked apart another line of goons.  "Well, we can't have that," he called back.  "Permission to break out the fireworks, Lady?"

                Kayura cast an eye across the horde of soldiers.  "I think we'd better," she yelled.  

                _Finally!  Dais' thought skimmed the surface of her mind, and she grinned as the "web of deception" launched forth ahead of them, enveloping and crushing over a hundred of the goons._

                "_Snake Fang Strike!!!"  Another large group of soldiers exploded into smoky flames, the power of Sekhmet's attack knocking them back into each other like the mortals' game of 'dominos'.  _

                At this point, Kayura noted the next press of attackers moving in.  Drawing power into herself, she leapt into the air, the shrieking whirlwind of her magical swords enveloping her.  "_Star Sword Scream!_"  A cone of unleashed power flew out from her as she brought the weapons down in a sweeping arc.  The goons nearest her simply vanished in the heat.  Further away, they toppled like felled trees.  She sank back to the ground gracefully, and surveyed the damage.

                The portion of Talpa's army nearest them was gone—probably 500 soldiers total.  More could be seen flooding into the valley, but they seemed a little less enthusiastic than before.  Kayura reminded herself that the soldiers themselves were powered by Nether Spirits, not actual humans, and thus would not be affected by the loss of their numbers.  

                "Hmmph.  Is it just me, or do they seem a little reluctant?"  Cale chuckled in her ear as Dais and Sekhmet joined them on their low overlook.

                "Don't be silly, Cale.  The Dynasty soldiers don't have human reactions."  Dais sounded calm, but one finger tapped nervously on his crossed arms.

                "Why are they hesitating?"  Kayura wondered aloud.  

                They watched the movement of the horde slow even further.

                "Anubis," Sekhmet muttered, with a knowing look.  Dais and Cale shot him disbelieving looks.  "Don't look at me that way," the Warlord growled.  "This is a typical strategy for Anubis, don't you remember?"

                Kayura, having never seen the Warlord of Cruelty in action before he joined the Ancient's cause, blinked in confusion.  She did sense a familiar presence, however, although it was shrouded in darkness.  

                Then it began—an eerie, howling wind and a strange shimmering in the frigid air.  The ground trembled under their feet.  An armor-clad form materialized in the air over the battlefield and descended to the earth.  Through the mist that was gathering across the earth from the rapid weather change, they could see the familiar lines of the Armor of Loyalty, the green and gold surplice fluttering in the wind.  A glint of shining gold could be seen on the arm bracer and leg plating.

                "See?"  Sekhmet crossed his arms over his chest and looked pointedly at the other two Warlords.  Kayura had the distinct impression that he might have stuck his tongue out at them if she hadn't been watching.

                A voice, harsh-edged, rang out across the valley to them.  "Master Talpa bids me welcome you, warriors.  You fight well.  Might I ask if you come to us as friend or foe?"

                The three warlords and Kayura exchanged glances.  

                "It sounds like him," Cale shrugged.

                "It sort of looks like him," Sekhmet said, squinting in the wind.

                "It could be anyone!" Dais hissed at them, his one eye flashing.  "He's wearing the helmet with the face guard up.  We can't tell for sure who—or what—he is right now!"

                Kayura took all the comments in, and gripped the Ancient's staff tightly, sending an exploratory thought out to the creature garbed in the Armor of Loyalty.  To her dismay, she found a familiar silver thread of spirit, but so entangled in the coarse skein woven by the Nether Spirits that she could not contact it individually.  She pulled back, blinking sadly.

                "It's Anubis," she affirmed the others softly.  "But Talpa has bound him with the Nether Spirits.  I'm not certain he's acting on his own initiative, right now."

                The steel plating gleamed as the armor-bearer shifted restlessly.  "Must I repeat the question?" the voice boomed across to them.

                Kayura stepped forward, despite the worried looks of the Warlords.  "You are known to me, Anubis," she began.  The helm tipped slightly to the side, as if the wearer were tilting his head in consideration.  "And I have considered you a friend.  However, we are _not_ friends of Talpa."

                "No?"  The harsh voice sounded slightly strained, but then a ringing, nasty-sounding chuckle began. "Such a pity.  You see, Master Talpa wishes you to join him.  I suppose this will have to be done the hard way…"

                Before they could even think to react, a wave of force hit them, sending them flying backwards.  Shaken, they scrambled to their feet. 

                "Where did he learn how to do _that?"  Dais spat furiously. _

Kayura staggered dizzily, having taken the force without the benefit of armor's protection.  "He's gotten so much more powerful…"

                "Are you all right?" Cale asked, steadying her.  

                "I'm fine.  Stop Dais," she gasped, pointing at the white-haired warlord, who was angrily striding forward.  Cale leapt after him.  

                "Hold on, Dais," he yelled, grabbing the illusionist's armored shoulder.  Dais stopped and looked at Cale ominously.  

                "What now?"

                "Lady Kayura asked me to stop you.  And frankly, I don't know what you think you can do."

                Dais raised an eyebrow. "I'm going to go down and knock some sense back into that pup's skull."  He started forward again, but Cale still held onto his shoulder plating.  "Damn it, Cale, let go."

                "No way.  We need help for this, Dais.  We have to get Kayura out of here safely so that she can bring the Ronins here.  We can't let Talpa get our armors back again."

                Dais, fuming, let out a wordless growl and stomped back to Kayura and Sekhmet.  Cale followed, keeping an eye on the oddly still form of Anubis, who watched their moves impassively.

                Kayura gripped the Ancient's staff again, and made a prayer for strength.  "We're getting out of here while we have the chance," she said by way of explanation, just before the shimmer of teleportation enveloped them.

                Anubis felt extremely weak after the power surge that had brought the four warriors to their knees.  He didn't know where that attack had come from—it certainly hadn't been in his repertoire before today.  Perhaps he had been in training for this and gotten hurt, that would explain why Master Talpa had been concerned about his condition.  

                In any case, he was simply too drained to comply with the command that rang through his head to finish them off.  Whatever the attack had been, he didn't want to try it again until he was fully aware of how much power he could spare for it.  He stared at the one-eyed man who began to stride purposefully towards him, and watched blankly as the sword-bearing warrior held him back.  They all returned to the female's side, and then vanished in a glittering light.

                Meanwhile, Talpa howled in frustration at his miscalculation.  Controlling the power in another's body was not nearly as simple as Badamon had made it out to be.  More training was in order, and now he was certain to have more to deal with than his former Warlords.  The Dynast grumbled fitfully to himself, as he sent the command out to return.

                Anubis' green eyes narrowed thoughtfully as he obeyed.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

                A loud cracking noise echoed through the forest around Mia's house.  All the Ronins leaped to defensive postures, their quick reactions bearing witness to their nervousness.  Mia and Yuli dashed out of the upstairs office and scampered down the stairs to join the others.

                "What was that?"  Sage asked rhetorically, looking out the windows and half-expecting to see Dynasty soldiers advancing on the house.  There were no enemies in sight. 

                Kento trotted in from the kitchen.  "Guys, I saw a big tree fall out there, a few hundred feet off the road.  Looks like it was struck by lightning."  He stuffed the last bite of a sandwich into his mouth, pointing in the direction of the event.

                "Let's check it out," Ryo said grimly.  

                They all went along, feeling that it might be too dangerous to leave Mia and Yuli alone at the house.   White Blaze carried the young boy as he used to, gently and patiently, with Mia running alongside.  The rain fell warmly on them as they crossed the driveway and entered the thick green undergrowth.

                "There it is," Kento shouted from up ahead.  Next to him, Cye's mouth was open in an "o" of dismay.  Looking at each other worriedly, Ryo, Sage and Rowan raced up to them.

                The tree had been huge, and when it fell, it had taken several other trees with it.  The botanical carnage was extreme, to say the least.  What truly inspired the boys' shock was not the felling of the trees, however, but rather _how the felling had been done._

                The entire base of the large tree had been torn apart, as if it had exploded from the inside out.  In the center of the mess stood Dais, Sekhmet, and Cale, supporting a rather shaken-looking Lady Kayura.

                "What happened?"  Rowan gasped.  Kento and Cye were already down in the middle of it, helping the Warlords extricate themselves from the smoldering wood.  

                "The tree and Lady Kayura had a little disagreement on who should be where," Dais commented slyly.  Kayura shot him a dangerous look, and he raised his hands in surrender.  "Well, Lady, at least you didn't lose the argument."

                "I didn't mean to teleport _into the tree," she grumbled._

                "Nobody _means to do that sort of thing," Cale chuckled as he helped her out onto the grass.   _

                Ryo looked askance at the Warlords.  "So what did happen, anyway?  I take it things didn't go well in the Nether Realm?"

                "You could say that," Dais grimaced.  Sekhmet growled something unintelligible.

                "It looks as if everything we feared has come to pass," Kayura said, steadying herself with one hand on the flank of a helpful White Blaze.  "Anubis has been returned to life, but it seems that he has no memory of us or the trials he went through to escape Talpa previously.  I am unsure if this is because Talpa's hold on him is too strong, or if he has actually lost all memory of his prior existence.  He also commands much more power than before—enough that we would have been in trouble fighting him by ourselves."

                Mia touched Kayura gently on the shoulder, and looked at the others.  "You are all exhausted.  Let's go back to the house, dry off, and rest.  We can continue this there."  

                Gratefully, the Ancient's descendant followed Mia back to the house, trailed by the warlords and Ronins.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

                "I believe Anubis' memory is still intact, but dormant because Talpa is personally controlling him," Dais said thoughtfully, settling back into a chair with a steaming cup of tea in his graceful hands.  "The influence of the Ankoku spirits is horrible and insidious.  When we experienced Talpa's 'gift' of power, I felt my own mind shrinking away from their presence.  I wonder if Anubis could be in a similar situation."

                The Ronins, younger than the three Warlords present, shuddered at the thought of Nether Spirits invading their minds.  They had experienced the pain of Talpa's attempts at dominating their armor, but the spirits had been unsuccessful in breaking the bond they shared, and thus could not hurt them as much as the Warlords.

                Mia dropped a printout into Kayura's lap.  "Does this look familiar, Lady Kayura?"

                She squinted at it and turned it around several times.  "The… phoenix emblem?"  

                "Exactly," Mia said, sitting on the floor next to her chair.  "It's something from my grandfather's research, and it was supposed to have the special property of—"

                "Resurrection," Kayura whispered, aghast.  "Of course.  This is the emblem that was on Anubis' armor when we encountered him."  She passed it to Dais, who nodded and passed it to Sekhmet.  Sekhmet stared at it worriedly until Cale grabbed it from his hand to take a look.

                "Then this part of the legend is true as well," Mia gasped.  "Talpa _does have the power to alter the nine Armors."_

                "Yes, that is true," Kayura said slowly.  "However, it is difficult and would require much of his attention.  Each alteration must be imbued with power of its own, which in our land would require an Ankoku spirit to inhabit each emblem. Talpa must then work through the Ankoku to control the power of the armor affected, instead of using his own influence as the armor's original creator."

                "So you're saying that Talpa's power over Anubis might be _less_ than before?"  Sage broke in, with a frown.  "That doesn't seem right."

                "Not exactly.  It simply means that Talpa's power over the armor is less direct."  Kayura tossed her dark hair back over her shoulder with a sigh.  "If this is truly the case, then we need to hurry back to the Nether Realm, all of us.  We need to confront Anubis and break Talpa's hold before Talpa learns how to use this new power effectively."

                Dais glanced over at her.  "The power surge we sensed before was tremendous.  It seems to me that he has already learned to use his power in this new fashion."

                "No, he hasn't," Cale interjected triumphantly.  "You were too ticked off to notice, Dais, but Anubis had a chance to finish us both when you started to go after him.  He didn't, though.  He just stood there, watching.  I'd be willing to bet that Talpa miscalculated and Anubis didn't have any power left to go after us!"

                Sekhmet blinked at Cale from his position on the floor.  "Cale. You made sense."

                "Stop that," Kayura snapped before the men could get into it.  "Cale, this _does_ make sense, but we can't anticipate that it will happen again.  Talpa has probably realized his mistake and worked to rectify it."  She sighed.   "Many words can be used to describe the Dynast, but unfortunately 'stupid' isn't one of them."

                "Right," Ryo said, hopping to his feet.  "When do we go?  We should make our move quickly."

                Mia looked at the exhausted girl, and around at the eager warriors.  Her face set.  "You'll go after Kayura finishes her tea," she scolded.  "After all, you don't want to be teleported into a rock by mistake, do you?" 

                "Oh, I wouldn't mind," Kento shrugged flippantly.  The Lady Kayura's cheeks turned a faint pink as she dutifully sipped at her tea.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~


	7. Power Play

**Revenance**

By  S. Arallion

Based on "Ronin Warriors"

(the English version of the anime series "Yoroiden Samurai Troopers")

**Disclaimer**:  All characters in this story are owned by their respective copyright holders—namely, not myself.  Anything you don't recognize is my fault.  I make absolutely no profit from my use of these characters.  ~~Arallion

Part 7:  Power Play 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

                  "Ack!  It's cold!"  Kento, materializing with the rest of the Warriors and Warlords on the crest of an escarpment, ducked his head in startled reaction.

                "No kidding," Ryo grimaced, covering his ears with his hands.

They looked out across a barren wasteland of tortured-looking black rock, boulders scattered carelessly across it like forgotten children's toys.  "This way," Kayura's voice chimed in the Ronin's ears, as she stepped forward lightly, showing them an obscure path down the sheer face.

"You brought us directly here," Cale observed curiously.

"I didn't have to be cautious this time," Kayura returned.  "Talpa already knows we're coming back, and how many of us there are.  We need to strike quickly and strong, before they regain strength."

They clambered down the face of the cliff and headed at a rapid pace towards the open canyon barely visible at the far side of the valley.  A chill, pale light shone on them from above, but the source was unknown, hidden in the growing clouds.  Fog began to surround them on the ground, not quite enough to block their vision, but an annoyance nonetheless.

"Ryo, I'm going up to see what I can see," Rowan finally said, brushing his forelock out of his eyes and hefting his bow.  Drawing on the power of Strata, the boy raised up into the air high above the party as they continued forward.  All of the warriors held their weapons nervously, except for Kayura, who continued moving forward purposefully to the gentle jingling of the Ancient's staff.

"I sense something amiss."  Dais spoke for the first time, his white hair beginning to blend into the fog.  He held out a hand to stay them, at the same moment that Rowan hurtled down from the sky into their midst.  

"Dynasty soldiers!  Lots of them!" the blue-haired Ronin gasped, staggering from his impact with the ground.  

"Let's take care of it then," the Ronin leader said, straightening.  "Armor of Wildfire, _tao _chi_!"_

"Armor of Halo—"

"Armor of Hardrock—"

"Armor of Torrent—"

The Warlords looked at each other.  "How come we don't have anything fancy like that?"  Cale complained rhetorically.  

Sekhmet tested the edge of one of his swords with a finger.  "Perhaps it wears off after a few hundred years," he observed with a laconic smile.  Cale gave him a dirty look.

"_Gentlemen,"_  Kayura warned, in a tone that dripped sarcasm.  "We have company…"  

The first wave of soldiers appeared out of the mist, shrieking a battle cry.  The warriors split up to blast the enemy with their special attacks, wanting to waste as little time as possible on the diversion.  However, when the dust cleared, the only thing visible was scarred rock and melted runoff.  

"What the—"

"It's an illusion," Dais yelled angrily.  "He's trying to get us to waste our energy on phantasms."

Ryo raced over to the scarred Warlord.  "So how do we know what's the illusion and what's the real thing?"  

Dais looked at him grimly.  "We don't.  Not really—I can sense illusion being created and used, but we can't rely on that.  It could too easily be used to trap us."

"Damn," Ryo swore, punching his gauntleted hands together.  "Well, I guess we don't have a choice but to go on this way, right?"

They formed up again, moving forward warily.  Kayura walked in the center of them all, and Rowan scouted from above.  They had more encounters, some of which were real, and some illusory.  The tension began to wear on them all, but finally they reached the canyon.

Rowan landed in front of them, beginning to look tired.  "Hey guys.  I don't see anything on the tops of the cliffs, but that doesn't mean there won't be something when we start in.  Ahead the canyon tightens until you end up in sort of a cave, it looks like.  I wouldn't trust it, but I think it's where we have to go."

"You are correct, Rowan," sighed Kayura.  "That is the entrance to Talpa's domain—the real one, not his Dynasty illusion of a palace."

"You mean this is where everything is—really?"  Sage looked into the dark canyon with wide, amazed eyes. 

"It didn't look this cramped before," Kento joked.  Sekhmet let out a dark laugh.

"Let us move on," Kayura prodded, stepping forward to the jingling of her staff.

"I'm afraid I can't let you do that."

The voice was almost unfamiliar in its expressionless quality, falling flat without even an echo in the reverberant canyon.  

"Oh, great," Cale growled.  He raised his voice.  "Couldn't you have waited until we were a little further inside?"

A soft chuckle answered him, and it sent chills down their spines.  "Probably, but what would be the fun in that?"  Out of the shadows of a jagged outcropping, an armored figure appeared, eyes glowing red from the shelter of a monstrous faceplate.  "So, I see you brought some friends this time.  How would you like to play this?  One at a time, or all of you at once?"  The gauntlets flexed on the handle of a wicked-looking _kusari-gama, and the figure's stance settled a bit, almost relaxed._

Dais' lips thinned in anger, and he moved to pull forth his weapon.  Kayura's hand came down heavily on his, though, stopping him.  "Let him make the first move," she murmured to them all.

"What's the matter, warriors?"  The voice became slightly mocking.  "Don't you _want to come inside?  Or has the gratitude of the mortal realm made you weak—afraid to test your skills after so long?"  The chain of the __kusari-gama began to rotate, gradually picking up speed.  _

Kayura stepped out of the protection of the others, the staff of the Ancient One held in front of her.  "Anubis.  You must hear me—we are not here to fight you.  We are here to restore you to yourself, just as you once did for me."

The blazing eyes narrowed behind the ogre helm.  "You are here to restore _me?  How very altruistic of you, Lady.    Yet, unnecessary.  My power is great, as is my loyalty to my Master—"_

"Anubis, he is not a Master of _your choosing!"  Kayura's voice rose desperately over the whistling of the weapon.  She tried yet again to touch the silver thread that was his soul with her thoughts, but the Ankoku presence pushed her away._

The red glare flickered for a brief moment in the warrior's eyes, but returned stronger than before.  Kayura could almost feel the heavy weight of Talpa's mind smothering them with fear and hatred.  The Warlord of Cruelty soared into the air with a shriek of defiance, and the enchanted chain-flail of the _kusari-gama_ launched towards them.

"_Quake with Fear!_"

Kayura closed her eyes as the spiked end of the chain drove right for her heart, but she was slammed into by an armored body and staggered helplessly to the side.  "This is exactly where he wants us!" someone shouted nearby, as the ground began to tremble.  She heard the earth crack as the chain multiplied under its crust, launching back forth in a deadly web of iron links that crisscrossed the narrow passageway.

"Dodge!" Cale's voice yelled frantically.  She, however, was too late.  The chains entangled her limbs, pulling  her upward and wrapping around her neck chokingly.  The Ancient's staff was torn from her grasp to fall like so much firewood to the stone.

The cracking and popping of the violated earth subsided fitfully into silence, leaving only the ragged breathing of the stunned allies.  A thin chuckle broke the peace.  Kayura opened her eyes, to watch the graceful descent of the Warlord of Cruelty.  His eyes met hers with a vicious smile, and she shuddered despite herself.  

Below her Kento and Sage had somehow managed to keep from becoming tangled in the steel web.  Dais had nearly managed to escape, but he appeared to have been tossed into a rock by the force of the chain explosion, and was motionless against the wall.  Cale was caught by one foot.  Sekhmet was nowhere to be seen.  Cye, Rowan and Ryo were caught very near her, and she suspected that the body that had pushed her away from the initial impact had been one of them.

Kento had a grumpy look on his face.  "All right, that's it," he shouted.  "Anubis, Talpa, whoever you are, you're gonna have a really big headache when I'm done with you."  Combining his weapon into a heavy steel rod, he hissed to Sage,  "See if you can get them free while I distract him!" 

Sage nodded  shortly and darted up the maze of chains to where the other Ronins and Kayura dangled helplessly.

"I don't know why you're even bothering, _boy," the Warlord of Cruelty snapped flatly as Kento stomped forward.  He dropped to a wary crouch, nonetheless. _

 Kento suddenly exploded into motion and slammed his weapon into the flexible armor of Anubis' side.  Surprisingly, the Warlord didn't dodge the obvious attack, and a pained huff of air escaped him.  One gauntlet slapped down on the offending weapon, and Kento jumped backward, pulling it away hastily.  He snarled and swung again, but this time the Warlord leaped away, actually hopping backward up the jagged rocks and launching himself over Kento's head to get out of range.  Kento caught his balance and brought the rod up just in time to block a swipe from the scythe portion of Anubis' _kusari-gama as the Warlord flew by._

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Ryo, watching from above, blinked in surprise.  

"Hey, Ryo, did you see that?"  Cye whispered in his light voice.  "The glow from that phoenix emblem faded for a second, just as Kento started to swing that second time."

"Yeah, I saw it, Cye.  I also saw how he couldn't dodge that first swing, although he had to have seen it coming."

Kayura shook her black hair out of her eyes and tried to move to ease the pressure on her neck.  "Talpa still battles in the way he knows best," she gasped, unable to get enough air to make more than a cryptic statement. 

Rowan caught on to her meaning.  "So, Talpa can't control Anubis' actions and still have him be effective in hand-to-hand combat, right?  Because Talpa only knows how to fight with brute force, while Anubis relies on speed and agility.  The trickier the maneuver, the more control Talpa has to give back to Anubis—because _he_ doesn't know how to fight that way."

"Are you thinking what I'm thinking?"  Ryo looked meaningfully at Sage, who was climbing towards them.

Cye and Rowan grinned.  "Chasing Sage is a nightmare," Rowan smirked.

"Lady Kayura, do you think that if we could trap Talpa into giving too much control back to Anubis, he might be able to snap out of this?"  Ryo looked at her seriously.

"I don't know for certain, Ryo," she sighed.  "I don't know how strong Talpa's hold is.   I'd say it's worth a try…"

"Sage!  Stop messing with those chains and get up here!"

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Kento blinked sweat out of his eyes, and puffed in annoyance.  "Dammit, stand still!"  He lunged yet again at his adversary, swinging wildly.  Yet again, Anubis dodged.  "Ack," Kento began to grouse, but realized that he'd left himself wide open for one of the Warlord's powerful attacks and nothing had happened.  It was as if—he didn't really want to fight.  "Hey…" 

Anubis' eyes narrowed as Kento faltered in his assault.  "What's the matter, little Ronin?  Lost your will to fight?"  The golden emblem on his chestplate began to glow again, and Kento backed up quickly.  The scythe snapped up, ready to deliver a powerful blow.

"Think again, Anubis!"

The Warlord froze, with an angry snarl. The eyes blazed in a sidelong glance at the newcomer, who sailed in from above, sword raised, clinging to a broken length of chain.  "Halo, you're dead."

"Not unless you can catch me," the green armored Ronin cried flippantly.  Silver eyes flashed as he sailed over the Warlord's head and landed on top of the outcropping.  "_Thunder Bolt Cut!_"

Kento dove to the ground as he saw Anubis' eyes widen.  The crackle of electricity passing just over his head made his hair stand on end and his armor hum in sympathy.  Strangely, Anubis seemed frozen in place.

The emblem on Anubis' armor flickered and faded once again, and with a frustrated hiss, the warlord darted backwards and to the side, barely avoiding the blast.  He landed catlike on his feet, but staggered as the glow flared back to life.  Growling, he stormed forward towards Sage, swinging his chain rapidly.  

Sage waited until the last possible moment, as the spiked end of the chain launched forth, and then nimbly leaped over the Warlord's head.  Anubis drew back the weapon with an angry flick of his wrist, and turned a glare on Sage.  "Dammit, stand still," he growled, echoing Kento's earlier complaint.

"Huh- _uh_," the spry blond Ronin replied, scampering up into the maze of chains.  "You want me, come and get me!"

 For a moment, he was afraid that his challenge would go unanswered, that the infuriated Warlord would simply start after Kento again.  After a moment of hesitation, however, Anubis started clambering up the web of chains after him.  

Sage at first found it simple to avoid the clumsy movements of the Warlord.  He noted the glowing carvings on Anubis' armor, realizing that Talpa was still very much in control of his minion.  He began to taunt, desperate to get the Warlord to chase him more effectively, because that would require Talpa to relax his control.  

Glittering eyes looked up at him.  Anubis was immediately below him, an easy leap away if he had been more himself, but an impossible distance for Talpa.  "Hah," Sage crowed, ignoring the worried little tremor in the back of his mind that told him to get farther away.  "You've really lost your touch, Warlord."

The green eyes flashed angrily.  "You won't be so glib once I catch you, Halo," the Warlord gritted.  

"_If_ you catch me," Sage shot back.  He ducked behind a chain as the clawed head of Anubis' _kusari-gama snapped out towards him, but the effort was unnecessary.  The sharp movement unsettled the Warlord's precarious balance, one foot slipped off the chain and he fell towards the ground—until the glow faded once more and the clawed weight wrapped around the nearest support with a practiced flick of Anubis' wrist.  The fall halted, and the Warlord landed easily on one of the lower chains._

Sage gulped and hung on to his chain for dear life as the entire web shook.  To his relief, however, the close call seemed to have taught Talpa not to interfere while his minion was fighting.  The sheen on the armor was low as Anubis darted easily back up towards him.

Of course, this meant that Anubis might actually catch him… Sage gulped again and set about dashing madly through the maze of chains, hoping that the Warlord would come to his senses before he either A:  caught Sage, or B: tired of the chase and went after one of the others.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Ryo watched from below as Anubis chased Sage relentlessly through the web of steel, the two evenly matched in agility.  He noticed the glow fading from Anubis' armor, as Talpa's influence weakened.  "Do you think this might actually work?" he whispered to Kayura, as she was helped down from the chains by Kento.

"I don't know," she whispered back.  "It would help if we could get him to lose the helm—traditionally, that has been the focus for Talpa's control, and at least we could see his face."

"I could go break it again," Kento volunteered cheerfully.  

Rowan thumped him lightly on the head.  "You do that, _if he ever gets close enough."  Kento shrugged, sighing.  _

Dais touched his own unprotected brow, wincing slightly.  "Kento has a point.  Perhaps we should devise an ambush while he's distracted by Sage."

Cale, joining them, grimaced humorously.  "Oh Dais, you know you just want to hold him down while someone else hits him."

"And your point is…?"  Dais replied, half-seriously.

"So what are we going to do, guys," Cye interrupted, his light eyes worried as he watched the skirmish above.  "Sage is getting tired."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~


	8. Awakening

**Revenance**

By  S. Arallion

Based on "Ronin Warriors"

(the English version of the anime series "Yoroiden Samurai Troopers")

**Disclaimer**:  All characters in this story are owned by their respective copyright holders—namely, not myself.  Anything you don't recognize is my fault.  I make absolutely no profit from my use of these characters.  ~~Arallion

Part 8:  Awakening 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

_Halo is getting tired_.  

Anubis narrowed his eyes at the darting figure ahead of him, always just barely out of reach.  The lithe, green clad form was dodging a hair more sluggishly, he noted, and his choice of path was becoming more and more desperate.  A bit longer and he would falter at a critical moment, and Anubis would have him.

Strangely, he felt more clearheaded than he remembered feeling for some time.  Even more strangely, he was feeling less and less interest in destroying his opponent.  A very small voice inside his head murmured to him urgently to keep running, but not to catch the boy.  The voice was soothing, and vaguely familiar.  He couldn't place it exactly, but for some reason it was very important to him to please that voice.

Sage made a sharp turn in front of him, and he hesitated a moment before following suit, trotting easily along the narrow tightrope of steel, within touching distance of the Ronin.  Sage looked over his shoulder, and Anubis stared into the silver eyes which were widening in panic.

_Take him now, you fool!  Kill him!_  The voice that intruded on his unsuspecting mind brought back memories of fear and pain, the booming tones resonating through his very bones.  Despite himself, he found his gauntleted hand reaching forward to capture the tiring Ronin, but just as he realized this, his balance seemed off and he stumbled.  The urge faded, accompanied by a snarl of anger, but his balance was restored as quickly as it had been disturbed.  Anubis blinked.  Sluggishly, his mind began to try to analyze what had transpired.

Sage leaped away from his grip and launched himself onto another strand of the web.  He began hopping from chain to chain, followed closely by the Warlord.  With another look back, he yelped and made a desperate leap—

--into nothing.  To his dismay, there weren't any more chains to hang onto, and a rock was coming up fast.  He closed his eyes, knowing that he was dead, even if the rock didn't kill him.

Anubis felt a shock of adrenaline flood through his body as the Warrior of Light fell.  Without thought, he sent the chain of the _kusari-gama sailing forward to wrap around the boy's body, catching him around the shoulder and waist and snagging on his armor plates.  _

Sage hung inches above the jagged rock, blinking in total confusion.  He looked up, upside down, at the Warlord who leaned precariously out into emptiness, using his own weight as ballast.  Silver-blue eyes met blue-green ones, both wide with astonishment.

"Don't move, Halo," Anubis' voice echoed hollowly out of the helmet, sounding very uncertain. "Are you all right?" 

Sage blinked again and sighed.  Hanging upside down wasn't his idea of a great time, and the blood was rushing to his head.  "What do you care?  Why can't I move?"

"Just stay still, Ronin, and let me think."  

"Like I have a choice," Sage said faintly, swinging helplessly from the chain of Anubis' weapon.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Kayura dashed in front of the frantic warriors, holding out her arms to stop them.  "Wait!  We have to use this chance.  While Anubis holds Sage balanced like that, Talpa can't take over his actions.  We might be able to get through to him right now."

"But Sage—"  Kento began worriedly.

"Is fine," the lovely monk pointed out.  "Even if he's dropped, he's close enough to the ground not to take any damage."

"Hmm, and it looks like Sekhmet is there to catch him anyway," murmured Dais, nodding towards the concealed Warlord of Venom, lurking in the shadows of a jagged boulder.

Kento looked at his fellow warriors for reassurance, noticing that none were happy with the idea but would still go along with it.  "Oh, okay.  But if you need me to thump Anubis, just yell."

Kayura grinned at him.  

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

_What is happening to me?_ Anubis thought frantically.  Saving a Ronin Warrior?  Talpa wanted them all dead, didn't he?  Where did this fit into the plan?

The small, soothing voice returned to him.  _Your soul is Loyalty—but you can choose your own master._  

He stared at the dangling form below him through the confines of his helmet, indecisive.  The helmet was obscuring his vision, clouding his mind.  Suddenly claustrophobic, he dismissed it, to allow his eyes to gaze unfettered on the cause of his confusion.  

 _Haven't we done this somewhere before….?_

_Kill him!_  The booming voice thundered in his ears.  In startled reaction, the Warlord ducked to the side, long red hair flying out.  Sage yelled, below him, as he was almost dropped.  Breathing hard, Anubis latched onto another chain and held on for dear life until his equilibrium returned.

"What are you trying to do, kill me?" Sage squawked up at him.  

The Warlord glared down at him with raised eyebrows.   "Is that a serious question?"

"Um, never mind."

The booming voice had subsided, becoming only a faint echo in the back of Anubis' mind.  He shook his head wearily and closed his eyes, resting his forehead for a moment against the cold steel of the chain.  The soothing voice brushed his thoughts again, stronger this time, drowning out the other.

You have not yet chosen your master in this life, Anubis.  You must choose now, or I cannot assist you.

"Ancient One?"  Anubis' head shot up, his eyes suddenly sharp and clear.  

To his shock, a roiling cloud of Ankoku spirits was moving rapidly towards him.  He heard a shout from below as the familiar outline of the Warlord of Venom appeared beneath Sage, and the other warriors began to clamber up the rocks towards them.  _I remember now, Ancient One.  Forgive me—my life is still yours…_

He dropped the _kusari-gama_, and Sage with it, onto Sekhmet.  Then he closed his eyes and stepped lightly off the chain web as the bloodthirsty spirits drove in to overwhelm him.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Horrified, the warriors watched as the pink-tinged cloud of shrieking Nether Spirits closed on Anubis' position.  Sage dropped unceremoniously into the waiting arms of Sekhmet and yelled in surprise.  Sekhmet dodged the scythe portion of the weapon easily as it came down after the Warrior of Light.  

The cloud swirled in on Anubis, but just as the spirits obscured his form, he dropped from the chain.  He fell too quickly for them to change direction, but also too quickly to survive the fall.

Kayura's staff exploded into light as they raced desperately up the rocks.  The armor Anubis wore glowed in reaction and dissipated to sub-armor, then as the glow continued, to the simple monk's clothing they found so familiar.  His descent slowed until his sandaled feet reached the rocks, when he crumpled into a limp, unconscious heap.  

"Pick him up," Kayura ordered, keeping a watchful eye on Talpa's minions overhead.  Cale and Ryo pulled the sagging Warlord upright and stepped to Kayura's side, in the shelter of her flaring staff.  The Ronins and Warlords closed around them protectively, and Kayura teleported them away, the chains of Anubis' magic disintegrating around them.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"We're baaaack,"  Mia heard from the entry, along with the now-familiar clatter of armored feet.  She dropped her dishrag and ran out of the kitchen to see the weary warriors stumbling in, all exhausted-looking.  Yuli and White Blaze were disappearing into the living room after Cale, who was moving towards the couch.

"Did you—oh, goodness," Mia stopped as she caught a glimpse of long, reddish-brown hair cascading over Cale's arm.

Lady Kayura stood at her side.  "We were able to bring him back, but I don't know how long he will be able to resist Talpa.  If the Dynast gains any more power, he will again be able to reach into the mortal realm, and Anubis will be vulnerable again.  Somehow, we must find a way to return the Armor of Loyalty to its original state."  She met Mia's apprehensive blue gaze seriously.  "Did your grandfather have any more information on this aspect of the nine armors?" 

                "I haven't seen anything yet," Mia replied, shoulders drooping.  "I'll look, though.  The way things have been happening, it seems like Grandfather's information only appears when it's relevant and needed.  Let's hope this situation is the same."  She felt Kayura's hand touch her arm comfortingly, and sighed as she looked at the still form on the couch.  "Can I do anything to help you with him?"

                Kayura brushed a stray hair from her nose.  "Perhaps some warm tea," she thought aloud.  "He is recovering from breaking the hold of the Ankoku spirits, and there is little we can do to help him now except to keep him safe while he rests."

                Mia nodded thoughtfully.  "How about moving him upstairs to one of the bedrooms?  It might be more quiet, considering the amount of people that are going to be in this house for awhile," she smiled wryly.

                "A good idea," Kayura said gently.  "I'll get Cale to do that."

                Cale and Rowan followed an awestricken Yuli upstairs to set Anubis up in Mia's small guest room.  The rest of the warriors sank down tiredly into chairs in the living room, or followed Mia into the kitchen to settle upon chairs and counters, waiting for water to boil.  All were strangely hushed.

                "I can't believe that Talpa was actually able to do that," Sage muttered after a moment.  He looked a little bruised and his hands were scraped and battered from the chase through the web of chains.

                "Me neither," Ryo replied.  "It just doesn't seem—well, _right."  White Blaze, at his side, made a small grumbling noise and rubbed his broad, snowy cheek against Ryo's hand.  _

                The kitchen lapsed into silence again.  Mia looked around to see Sage and Ryo slumped in their chairs at the table, Sekhmet leaning awkwardly against the wall by the telephone, and Cye perched in his usual place on the counter next to the sink.  The teakettle began to whistle, and they all jumped at the sudden sound.

                "Easy, guys, it's just the water boiling."  She smiled calmly at them, and they relaxed with nervous laughter and shuffling.  "Cye, would you mind making the chocolate?  I'm going to start the tea."

                Cye shook himself visibly, his gaze clearing as he focused on Mia.  "Sure, no problem."  He hopped off the counter and pulled the powdered chocolate from its place in a cupboard.  

                "I don't know why I'm so freaked out about this," Ryo commented, leaning back in the chair.  

                "I know why _I am," a voice rumbled from behind him.  Ryo shot a startled glance over his shoulder as Sekhmet pulled another chair out and sat down at the table.   The Warlord looked as haggard as they all felt.  "I keep thinking:  if Talpa can bring someone back from the dead with a simple addition to his armor, what other things might he be able to accomplish?  There have to be nastier insignias than that Phoenix.  Right, Lady Mia?"_

                Mia shook a measured amount of tea out into the pot before answering.  "I found several different insignias that could be added to your armors," she replied slowly.  "And yes, some of them could be nasty if controlled by Talpa."

                Sage let out a groan.  "So we could all be in danger of having our armors altered and controlled if we were captured again."  

                A steaming mug of hot chocolate was plunked down in front of the blond Ronin's morose nose.  "Stop worrying about it right now," Cye admonished.  "We have other things to worry about.  We stole a Warlord out from under Talpa's nose, and we have to be prepared to fight about it.  It doesn't look like Talpa's strong enough to come after us right now, but he will be.  We can't afford to wear ourselves out before he even gets here."

                Sage sniffed the chocolate and a tiny smile pulled at his lips.  "Thanks, Cye.  I guess I'm just a little frazzled right now."

                "I can't say I blame you," Cye grinned.  "_I wouldn't want to be hanging upside down from the end of Anubis' __kusari-gama."_

                "What?"  Mia was shocked.  "You guys haven't told me what happened yet!  Sage, are you all right?"  

                The three boys and the Warlord looked at each other.  "I'm fine," Sage said with a shrug.  "Although being saved by two Warlords in the same battle does make me a little uneasy…"  

                Sekhmet grinned at him.  "Aww, shucks."

                Ryo proceeded to tell Mia what had happened, with some input from Cye and Sage.  She listened carefully, drinking her tea with them.  "That must have been quite an experience," she finally said after the tale was finished.

                Sage grimaced.  "Something like that.  Ryo, I don't think I want you to volunteer me for anything anymore."  The comment was only partially humorous.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

                Mia cracked open the door to the guest room silently, peering in.  The light from the hallway spilled across the foot of the bed, illuminating a rumpled blanket cast over a very still form.  She pushed open the door and stepped in as quietly as she could, walking to the small table at the head of the bed to set down the cup of tea she carried.

                Turning to leave, she hesitated, realizing that she hadn't actually seen him since he was brought in by Cale.  His presence hadn't registered with her yet.  Perhaps she was protecting herself from further unhappiness, she thought, wondering why it seemed so unreal.  It was possible that this was all a dream, and she would wake to find him gone again…

                Yet, his body was there in front of her, the cover gently rising and falling with his even breathing, red hair spilling over the white pillowcase in a dark flow.  His narrow face was still and drawn, pale hands folded over his chest.  She stood there quietly for a moment, losing herself in the translucent planes of his features.

                 "Mia?"

                The familiar, rough-edged voice was almost inaudible.  She jumped in spite of herself, focusing again on the pale face.  Anubis' blue-green eyes were open, shadowed with exhaustion, but watching her with an unreadable expression.  She wondered how long she had been standing there while he looked at her.

                "You're awake," she smiled hesitantly.  "I brought you some tea.  I hope it's not cold…"

                He blinked and glanced to the table, where the cup sat.  A wisp of steam still rose from the water invitingly.  "Thank you," he managed to say, his voice coming out ragged and painful.

                Mia winced at the sound.  As he moved to push himself upright, she picked up the cup and held it out for him.  He sipped the warm liquid and gave her a grateful look.

                "I should let you rest," she muttered quietly, a little embarrassed at having been caught staring.  To her surprise, one lean hand reached out to her as she started to move away.

                "Please don't leave just yet," he said faintly.  

Mia turned back and was startled to see an unhappy, vulnerable expression in his eyes.  Nervously, she pulled up a chair to the bedside, and took his outstretched hand.  "Are you feeling all right?"

"Not really," he said with a tired chuckle.  His eyes were focused on their hands, his long fingers wrapped gently around hers.   "I never expected to see you again."  

The comment was so quiet that Mia wondered if she was meant to hear it at all.  She tried to keep him talking, the defeated tone in his voice worrying her.  "Do you remember anything of what happened?"

A muscle in his cheek jumped.  "I—remember enough," he answered evasively.  "Is Sage all right?"

"He's fine," Mia reassured.  "A little bruised, but no more than anyone would have been.  Less than yourself, I would imagine."  A faint smile answered the comment.  His thumb moved absently on her palm in a soothing rhythm, but his eyes were still haunted.  

"If you could—let them know that I didn't go back to the Dynasty by choice," he said, eyes closing in a pained expression.  

Mia was surprised, then annoyed.  She squeezed his hand forcefully.  "They already know."

His eyes flared open, making contact with hers for the first time since she'd sat down.  "They do?"

"Of course they do.  They believe in you, remember?  _I believe in you, and I know you would never do anything to hurt us."  She locked gazes with him fiercely, noting surprise and renewed gratitude in his look.  "Well?"_

He blinked at her.  "Well… what?"  

"Apologize for having so little faith in us," she elaborated, with a humorous note in her voice.

He made a small noise of laughter, and one corner of his mouth twitched in a half-smile.  "I'm sorry…"   

"Hmmph," she grinned back at him.  "Go back to sleep so that I can go back to researching this situation."

"You've _found_ something about this?"  Anubis' gaze sharpened with interest.

"Stay," she admonished sternly, as he appeared to be considering getting out of the bed.  "I do the research, you get some sleep.  Would you like more tea?"

He looked into her eyes silently, with a raised eyebrow and a bemused expression.  

"Why do you do all of this, Mia?" 

The soft question caught her off-guard.  She lowered her gaze, suddenly acutely aware of his fingers, loosely encircling her wrist.  "If you're asking why I keep researching, it's because I want to help.  I'm not a warrior, so I have to help in other ways.  I can't just sit by and watch, knowing that people could be hurt by my inaction."

Anubis sighed, releasing her hand slowly.  "The Ronins are lucky to have found such a dedicated ally."  When she looked into his eyes again, they were unreadable.  He was beginning to droop, she could tell.

"I'm glad they can count you as an ally, too," she returned seriously, taking the cup from him to bring it back downstairs.  He said nothing, but his expression looked doubtful as she left the room. 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~


End file.
